


Identity

by Hanna



Category: Thor (2011)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, M/M, Slavery, but neither are particuarly explicit, dubcon, noncon, slave!Thor, winged!thor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-24
Updated: 2013-11-24
Packaged: 2018-01-02 12:40:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1056874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hanna/pseuds/Hanna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thor is born with wings, and winged people are rare, and thus, valuable. Kidnapped and sold into slavery Thor is trained to be the perfect pet, and when he is rescued, he has no idea how to be a prince.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Identity

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a prompt on tumblr.

Very few people of any race were born with wings.

That made those who were valuable.

And when Thor Odinson, Asgard's heir, was revealed to be one of them, he became the most valuable person in all the Nine Realms.

XX

He was a happy child, trusting and innocent. He had many friends and he showed his wings, pearly white and fluffy, off to all, grinning proudly as they ran their hands over the feathers and made soft awed noises.

"Can you fly?" the children would ask excitedly and he'd grin at them and flap them hard and fast. He couldn't but they still excitedly stroked his wings and he showed off as soon as he could hover to them. He relished in the attention. His wings were always being touched and he loved it.

Frigga would run her fingers through his soft feathers and groom him before he went to bed as Loki watched enviously and worried for her son. He might not understand, but she knew how much danger he was in.

XX

He was taught to fight young. He loved it, never questioned it, and Frigga and Odin were grateful. If he had they'd have had to explain that not all attention his wings got him was good. He was a natural warrior, his tutor said, and sometimes Odin watched his training to see how he was going. Thor would beam proudly at him and show off, and he'd promptly get hit for not paying attention.

Odin's smile was sad. His happy son could hardly stay that way forever.

XX

When Thor had four centuries he was out in the woods.

He'd slipped his bodyguards and was flying just below the branches laughing gleefully when he hit a low hanging one he hadn't seen and tumbled to the ground. He wasn't hurt, he'd had worse scrapes, and brushed the dirt off his tunic as he rose.

A slow clap sounded behind him and he spun around.

"Impressive," a man said, looking thoughtfully at him. "You really are quite the flyer, aren't you?" He grinned proudly.

"I can do lots!" he said and the man's smile sent chills down his back. His previously stretched out wings tucked in a little. He knew he'd left his guards far behind. But he didn't need them. He lifted his head. He was a warrior, he could take care of himself. He touched his sword hilt, the sword Father had insisted he carry at all times. He was the only child who carried one, and he loved it.

"I'll bet you can," the man said and stepped close. "May I touch them?" He held his hands out in a pacifying gesture and Thor turned to give him better access, slightly wary but none would dare hurt the crown prince. He felt gentle fingers running across the tops and then his nails dug in and he yelped, pained, as he pulled him back. It felt like he was trying to pull his wings out and no matter how he tried he just couldn't turn or free himself.

"You should never give your back to a stranger," the man hissed in his ear as he struggled in his grasp. "Your father should have taught you that, Odinson."

Another man emerged from the forest and Thor shouted in panic and anger, raising his fists and trying not to cry at the pain but the man was already swinging at him and the world went black.

XX

Thor woke on a cold floor. He ached all over and his wings felt like they'd been torn from his back and shoved back in. There was movement beneath his feet and he realised he was in a carriage. His scabbard and sword were missing from his belt. He slowly looked up to see the man from the forest, his sword on the ground beside him.

"You!" he shouted. "Father will have you hanged!" The man laughed and pulled a feather from behind his ear. It was white and- Thor's eyes widened as he recognised it and reached behind him with a cry.

"Birds belong in cages," the man said with a smirk. "Your father won't find us, and if he does, you will be far beyond his reach. Or do you plan to fly back to Asgard?" He chucked his flight feather at him and it drifted to the ground between him and the cage. Thor could hardly believe this was happening.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked and the man laughed again. "If its money you want-" the man rose and approached him, reaching through the bars and gripping his chin. The cage was too small for him to move away from his hand and he snarled as he twisted his head.

"I envy whoever gets the pleasure of breaking you," he said and his grip turned strong enough that Thor couldn't fight it anymore. He held it a moment longer before he pulled back, evading his bite.

"Sir," the man who hit Thor said, "We can't sell him as Odinson, it'll be too risky. No one will buy him for fear of incurring the Allfather's wrath." Thor's eyes widened at the words.

"The risk is why they will," the first man said and turned back to Thor, looked him in the eye. "You can say goodbye to your life as a prince, little bird. You will never see your father again." And then a dark cloth was pulled over the cage and Thor curled on the floor, trying to breathe and figure out what was going on.

XX

"You need to call me something," the man said as he pulled the cloth off the cage and Thor threw his arm over his eyes at the sudden light. The other snorted lightly.

"You just want the prince to bow to you," he said and Thor held his head up defiantly.

"I will never bow to you!" he said. "When I get home I will have Father torture you for this." Both men chuckled.

"Bloodthirsty little thing," the second commented and the first shook his head.

"You won't see him again," he said. "You won't go home. You're going to be someone's pet." His grin was creepy. "Pet, that's what I'll call you. So you can learn your place. And you can call me Master."

"Never," Thor spat.

XX

The cage was opened a few hours later and Thor tried to make a break for it but he was stiff from being curled so tightly and easily pinned. He struggled to no avail against the strong man's firm grip and howled with pain when the second dug a nail sharply into the spot where his wings and back joined, slumping once the pressure was gone and letting out a harsh breath.

"Don't fight me pet," the man said as he rubbed his fingers over his wings and Thor tensed. "They really are beautiful, you must take good care of them."

It took Thor a moment to realise he was grooming them. The sharp pluck of a feather made him cringe before he understood and he twisted to stare at him.

"You need to be beautiful," he said. "You'll get us a lot of money, pet, and I intend to get all I can." Thor bared his teeth but his fingers never stopped combing through his feathers, righting them and removing what couldn't be saved, and it felt good. The firm grip holding him down meant that he couldn't escape and he let his eyes shut as he waited for him to be done. He felt the man's hand in his hair once he was and instantly drew his wings in as tight as possible.

"There there," the man said as he pulled a comb through his hair. "That didn't hurt did it?"

He refused to answer and was shoved back into the cage with some food.

XX

Each day Thor prayed that Father would come now, that he would hear the soldiers horses riding up behind the carriage, but he never did. He was stiff from being in the cage and hurt all over, he needed to stretch. He was dragged out once a day and groomed and gritted his teeth, told himself it didn't feel good.

It reminded him of Mother and he vowed to return to her. He would get back and they would pay.

On the fourth day he was taken from the cage and a collar was put around his neck. He snarled at them as they chained him to a corner and yanked at his chains for almost an hour before giving up. He sat sullenly, knees to his chest and wings tightly folded against his back, and glared at them.

He must have fallen asleep for he woke sharply when the carriage jolted and he hit his head against the wall, his chain rattling. The collar about his neck was heavy and he let his chin rest on his knees. He would have turned his back to the men but that would mean exposing his wings to them, and he wasn't about to do that.

It'd been only days since he'd been willing to show anyone who asked.

He thought of Asgard and knew that Father would be searching for him. He'd find him. Father would make them pay.

XX

He had to be bodily lifted to be pinned against the wall for grooming, and his captor had to pull his wings and hold them out to do so. It was followed by his hair being combed and his face washed before he was fed. He slept curled in the corner, on a cloak and under one (he'd refused them at first but it was cold at night without his furs and he hadn't been able to refuse them when he was shivering uncontrollably) and dreamed of seeing the men beheaded.

Their travel was by portal, and it opened up on a green field. Thor's ears were ringing when they came through the other side and he groaned lightly, resting his forehead on his knees drawn to his chest.

"It's almost time to say goodbye," the first man, who he refused to even think of as 'Master', said. "Been lovely having you. I'll miss you, pet." He lifted his head to glare at him. "But I'll enjoy the money more than your company." They both laughed as Thor turned away.

XX

They were on Alfheim.

Thor had been to Alfheim before, but he didn't know this place. He didn't like the way the people were looking at him, the same way his captors did, and held his head high.

He was Thor Odinson and he would have his revenge.

He was led, stumbling and resisting, to a man who didn't even speak to him before looking him up and down and turning him to pull his wings to their full extension.

"You play a dangerous game," he murmured when he let his wings go. He tucked them protectively against his back and he heard people moving behind him.

Despite himself he shuddered and took a tiny step closer to the man holding his chain, his wings tightening a little.

He'd never felt so vulnerable or frightened before.

"He'll make a lot of money," his captor replied and the man shrugged, pointed them through. He had little choice but to follow.

He was put in a cage and glared at his captors as they removed his chain. His hair was combed and any stray feathers straightened or plucked before they left and shut the door before he could flee.

He paced restlessly for a time before he sat against the bars. He saw people, elves mostly, moving around and looking curiously at him. He met their eyes and memorised their faces.

They would all pay for this.

XX

He'd never seen another winged person before in his life.

They were everywhere here, but it wasn't what he'd though it would be. Their wings had drooped or were tucked as tightly against their backs as his were and their shoulders were slumped. Some wore collars like him, others didn't. Some followed other people or were pulled along by leashes. But they all had one thing in common.

Not one winged person here was free.

XX

He was young, but he was far from stupid. He knew when the crowd started gathering in front of him that he was about to be sold. Two attendants came to pull him out of the cage and he struggled. Let them all see that, for all he was young, he wasn't going to break.

He searched the crowd. He recognised a few faces who had come back again and again and spoken to him, or tried to at least. He'd refused point blank to give them the satisfaction. The attendants held him firm as they turned him so he couldn't see the crowd and spread his wings.

He froze. He knew that if he fought while his wings were stretched open they would pull on them and that _hurt_.

The bidding started in the background and he recognised several voices. It came down to his two most regular visitors. Indignation flared up at the thought of being nothing more than a pet, a toy- he was a prince! But his wings were still held stretched and he forced himself to hold still.

Eventually the bidding stopped. The men holding his wings let them go and he struggled to get away but was suddenly frozen, unable to move.

"Thank you," a soft voice said and he tried to turn but was immobilised. Soft fingers trailed down his back and along one wing and he shuddered.

"Turn around," the voice commanded and he could turn his head now. The elf was a man, slender and fair skinned with dark hair. "I am Ulnir, and I am your master." He tried to open his mouth to protest but he couldn't. Ulnir smiled at him and stroked his hair.

"Relax, Odinson," he said. "I shall not harm you."

XX

Thor was escorted to Ulnir's home. His heavy collar was taken off and a light beaded one fastened around his neck, but no matter how he tried, he couldn't take it off. And he tried everything.

"It is enchanted," Ulnir told him as he watched him, "You will not be able to remove it."

He didn't stop. He wouldn't submit quietly.

XX

Ulnir was kind and gave very generously- food, furs, beaded jewellery. He liked to dress his pet up and whenever he ripped the jewellery off his wrists or head Ulnir did nothing, just took it and walked away.

Thor grinned triumphantly but Ulnir didn't react any further. He didn't turn around, didn't look at him, didn't feed him, didn't say a word to him. Thor shifted uncomfortably when the elf passed him to go to sleep without a glance.

He opened his mouth to say something but closed it again and was oddly sleepless that night. He was hungry and so he got up to eat.

Ulnir said nothing but the kitchen was warded the next night.

It took three days for him to break. He was desperate for company, to be groomed, to be given at least a _look_. Even when he was been punished at home his parents _looked_ at him.

He approached Ulnir quietly and Ulnir did turn to him then. He let out a relieved sigh, though he hadn't said a word. He struggled for words and, eventually, said nothing and just held his wrist out.

Ulnir smiled as he fetched the bracelet and fastened it about his wrist. He sat him before him and groomed him, and didn't mention it again. But every time Thor disobeyed him he got the same punishment.

He learned fast.

XX

The first time Ulnir clipped his wings as part of his grooming he pulled away and made a protesting noise but Ulnir gave him the look that meant he was pushing his boundaries  and if he wasn't careful he'd be punished.

He sighed and sat back down, stretching his wings out for the elf, who ruffled his hair.

It wasn't like he had anywhere to fly anyway.

XX

He was trained as pet. He knelt by his side when he worked and accompanied him at times to his business with a glamour to mask his true appearance. He had some light duties but very few of them and they were only to keep him occupied during the day. He was given most of what he wanted, and his thoughts of the palace and home faded as time went on.

Ulnir's house became home.

_I am a prince_ he sometimes thought, and _look how far I've fallen_ always echoed closely after.

Ulnir was not cruel, and he liked the elf. He slept curled under his covers in winter for warmth and sometimes in summer when he wanted someone else in his bed.

It was a very comfortable life, as good as it had been at the palace. He missed combat training but he couldn't very well ask for _that_. He was sure to be turned down then.

He was a pet, not a prince, and princes wielded swords. The closest he got to them was polishing Ulnir's once the elf realised he knew how to handle weapons and trusted him enough to not stab him with it and that trust gratified him.

He let Ulnir become his family.

XX

Ulnir bedded him when he was six hundred, and was as kind in that as he was in everything else, giving him plenty of preparation and ensuring that he found his pleasure. He spent his nights in Ulnir's bed and his days by his side and his life as a prince seemed like a dream.

XX

Ulnir sold him when he was 700. Not that he wanted to, he told him as he groomed him and carefully clipped his flight feathers, but because he had no choice. He hated having to do it but the authorities were paying too close attention to the black market and he was going to be investigated. Thor turned to look at him, frightened. He didn't want to be sold. He'd never known another master but Ulnir.

"Hush, pet," Ulnir soothed him, stroking his hair, kissing the back of his neck. "You will be valued wherever you go."

It was another three months before he was sold and he stared up at the frost giant who was buying him in trepidation. He was enormous, and he didn't even look at him except for the initial examination, which was rough. He yanked his wings out rather than ordering him to show him and twisted him around forcefully.

"He is well trained," Ulnir assured the giant as Thor kept his eyes down. "There is no need to be rough with him, Thrym. He will obey." He stroked his hair.

"Make me proud, pet," he murmured and he nodded as he went to Thrym, head down, wings tucked out the way.

XX

Thrym was as cruel as Ulnir had been kind.

Thor was terrified of him.

He kept out of his way as much as he could and when he was ordered to his side he kept as quiet as he could and simply tried to avoid drawing his wrath. Thrym could demand of him to serve his food, clean or to bend over for him, and when he fucked him it wasn't like when Ulnir had. It was agonising. Thrym never prepared him, never took his time, and he always wept from the pain but he couldn't deny his master. Ulnir had taught him that quite thoroughly.

His collar was changed to something much too heavy for him and he was brutally beaten whenever he fidgeted with it. He cowered whenever Thrym entered the room, kept out of his way as much as possible and had nightmares about his beatings and the way he used him so carelessly and brutally.

Life with Thrym was living hell, but he didn't have to endure it long.

Thrym led and lost a rebellion against Laufey and Laufey claimed Thrym's holdings and banished him after Thor had spent a mere fifty years as Thrym's. And one of those holdings was him.

XX

Laufey was at first bored on seeing the cowering Thor in the corner.

"Head up," he said and he lifted it, trembling, shoulders hunched. Laufey frowned a little and lifted his chin, examining him. "Who are you?" he asked, an odd note in his voice.

"Thor, sir," Thor said, his eyes dropping, though his head remained still in Laufey's grip. "Thor Odinson." Laufey let out a breath and let his head drop. He swallowed as he waited.

"Asgard's lost heir," he murmured and laughed delightedly. "Fallen into my grasp." He gestured Thor to stand and, shaking, he obeyed. He moaned low with pain as he did, still not having recovered from the last time Thrym had fucked him. Laufey frowned on seeing his hesitance.

"Are you hurt?" he asked and Thor gave him a wide eyed look.

"Y-yes sir," he stammered nervously. "My master-" he shuddered at the memory of Thrym bearing down on top of him, gripping his wings roughly as he thrust into him, ignoring his cries of pain, "He- he is not gentle." Laufey frowned and he hunched over, prepared for a blow.

"I am your master now," he said, "And if I hurt you I expect you to tell me." Thor's eyes became huge.

"R-really?" he breathed, and Laufey crouched before him.

"Yes," he said, holding his hand out. Cautiously Thor took it and moved out of his corner. Laufey turned him around.

"Wings," he said and Thor extended them, automatically braced for pain. He ran a careful hand over them with a disapproving cluck of his tongue before straightening the feathers and it had been so long since Thor had been groomed. He let out a soft breath as he slowly relaxed into Laufey's steadying hand on his side.

"You need not be afraid of me," Laufey told him and, to his immense shame, Thor started to cry. Laufey beckoned him forward and he clung to him as he wept.

He missed home. He missed Ulnir. He missed Loki. He missed Mother.

After he'd dried his tears he became aware that Laufey was undoing his collar. His breath stuttered to a stop in his throat.

"This is too big," he said disapprovingly, casting it aside. "I will get you one that fits you properly."

He clung to him.

XX

The new collar was sleek and slim, and Thor gratefully accepted it. It felt like it wasn't even there after what he'd been forced to endure for half a century. Laufey gave him time to recover from Thrym's abuses before he asked what he'd been trained to do.

"Share a bed," Thor said, with a distinct shudder as he remembered Thrym. "Other light duties. My first master made me a pet."

"And you are a beautiful pet," Laufey murmured and Thor coloured. " _If_ I choose to bed you I will be much gentler than your last master," he said. "I do not wish to rape you." Thor turned wide, grateful eyes to him, and was glad he wasn't returned to his family.

They'd be ashamed of him.

XX

Thor was a good pet, and that was how Laufey used him. Privately; never in public or in court. Word might have gotten back to his father if he had, Thor supposed. At the prospect of being found and freed he felt odd. He hadn't expected to be freed, and at this point-

He almost didn't want it.

He was no prince, he was a pet, it was all he knew.

His duties were to keep Laufey's quarters clean and kneel by his feet when he was in his room. He obeyed gladly but started getting antsy. He needed fresh air. He'd never complain, that wasn't a slave's place, but Laufey read it in his restless movements.

He cast a spell on him to mask his appearance and started to take him out with him, and Thor was awed by the icy palace. Old prejudices had emerged and been strengthened at Thrym's cruelty but Laufey's kindness had wiped them away, and there was nothing to stop him appreciating the beauty around him.

Laufey even let him fly.

"You will hardly flee," he said as he stroked his flight feathers, and smiled. "How long has it been since you flew, Thor?"

"Centuries," Thor said, voice weak from shock. "You mean- really?" Laufey nodded, nudged him forward.

"Stretch your wings," he said.

Thor was hesitant at first, glancing back at Laufey, and unsteady when he finally did get in the air, but when his flight evened out-

He'd forgotten the joys of flying.

He came to land in a heap of limbs and feathers before Laufey, laughing gleefully. He ached, he'd not flown in _ages_ , but it was the most pleasant ache he'd ever felt.

That night Laufey beckoned him to sit beside him on the bed.

"I wish to bed you," he told him and Thor half froze. "I will not hurt you, Thor," he continued. "I want your company in my bed as well."

"Y-yes, master," Thor whispered hoarsely.

"And if I hurt you I expect you to _tell_ me," Laufey said sharper. He'd learned that Thor didn't complain about hurts unless specifically ordered to.

"Yes master," Thor said, looking down.

XX

Thor was nervous, but Laufey was as gentle as he'd promised to be. He took his time opening him up, his thick fingers moving in and out of him and making him arch his back and beg breathlessly for more. He'd forgotten how good it could feel.

But that was nothing to when he actually fucked him.

His breath was knocked out of him by the sheer size of him, though it seemed less than Thrym's had, and his eyes rolled back in his head when the head of Laufey's cock dragged over his prostate as a loud moan escaped him. He grasped desperately for him and Laufey stroked his wings, held him steady as he writhed beneath him.

"Hush, pet," he murmured, kissing the back of his neck and thrusting deep. His breath was loud in his ears as he moaned, voice wrecked.

Laufey's hand curled around his proudly erect cock and he fucked into it.

"Come," Laufey murmured and he obeyed with a wordless cry, collapsing onto the bed after. Laufey kept fucking him and he squirmed a little but a steadying hand rested on his shoulder.

Soon he pulled out and spilled on his chest before pulling Thor against him. Thor was cold but he was used to that by now, and Laufey murmured a spell to warm him up as they drifted into sleep.

XX

Eventually Odin did catch wind of the Aesir pet of the king of Jotunheim, and the whispers that he was the lost heir of Asgard. He went to investigate and Thor's eyes went wide on seeing him.

"Father?" he gasped and the court went silent. He was suddenly intensely aware of the collar about his neck and glanced between Laufey and his father, swallowing. His father looked furious and he hunched over a little. Laufey put a hand on his shoulder to steady him.

"Allfather," he greeted.

"Return my son," Odin said, his single eye narrowed, "And I _might_ not bring war upon Jotunheim."

Laufey was far from a stupid man.

He let Odin take Thor back to Asgard.

XX

The first thing Odin did was remove Thor's collar and he swallowed rapidly, heart beating fast. He'd not been without a collar for 400 years and to feel his neck bare felt _wrong_.

He didn't know how to talk to his father, and Odin had no idea how to talk to him, it was clear. He walked half a pace behind him, head down deferentially, and Odin ground his teeth together.

"Head up," he said. "You are a prince of Asgard, not a servant."

Thor flushed.

He wasn't a servant, no- but he wasn't a prince either. He was a pet.

The fine furs draped around his shoulders, gifts from Laufey, suddenly felt like shackles and shame swept through him. He huddled in on himself and Odin sighed, half reached for him and pulled his hand back.

XX

Heimdall said nothing when the Bifrost brought them back to Asgard and Thor's knees went weak at the sight of the golden city.

He was _home_.

He let out a great rush of breath and cast the furs off his shoulders, tears glittering in his eyes. He sank to his knees from sheer relief and Odin helped him to his feet.

"You need kneel no more," he told him and supported him until he got his balance back. He was dazed and when Frigga came out she threw her arms around him and wept into his shoulder.

He embraced Loki and Loki returned it. His eyes were darker than he remembered them been and he was far more reserved but he'd changed too; he was visibly subservient where Loki was every inch a prince.

He didn't feel much like a prince in that moment.

XX

Thor had trouble adjusting to being a prince once more.

He'd been trained to be silent, that masters didn't want to hear their pets unless they called on them, and his instinct was to find a corner of the room and stay there unless called upon. When he did speak his voice was soft and not pitched to carry except to who he was speaking to. He had very little muscle tone and very little strength.

By far the worst behaviour he'd been taught, though, was subservience.

He bowed his head when spoken to and was clearly uncomfortably when he took his place as Odin's eldest son, eyes darting to the floor longingly. Odin tried to train him to be the prince he was born to be but he'd simply been a pet too long to take to it.

"Loki is your heir now," he said one day finally. "I am sorry, Father, I cannot do this."

Frigga found him in his room, curled on the bed, staring blankly at the wall.

"Thor?" she asked softly and he turned his eyes to her. They were red with tears.

"I am good at nothing," he said as she came closer and wrapped her arms around him. He clung to her. "Nothing I should be. I cannot fight- I cannot rule..." he trembled in her arms.

"Why did this happen to me?" he asked, and wasn't sure if he was asking why he'd been captured or rescued.

She rocked him in her arms.

"You are safe now," she promised. "You are home."

XX

The first time Frigga groomed his wings after his rescue he braced himself automatically and she frowned, running a hand through his hair.

“Thor?” she asked. “What troubles you?”

He forced himself to relax. She’d not clip his wings. He said nothing, though. He didn’t want to admit that he’d  _let_ his masters clip his wings without even a fight. She kissed his hair.

“Tell me,” she said gently, running a hand over his feathers, and he’d never been able to deny his mother anything.

“I thought,” Thor mumbled, “You were going to clip my wings.” She drew in a sharp breath.

“Oh, Thor,” she murmured, wrapping her arms around him and he furled his wings, held them close to his body as he turned in her arms, feeling like a child, and buried his face in her shoulder.

XX

He trained hard and it hurt to use muscles he’d never used. It was odd seeing the slim frame he was so used to build up. But he was proud of himself. He was doing this for himself, he’d not let himself down again, not let Father down.

He might never be a prince again, but he could be a warrior, surely.

He was fitted and had royal armour custom made with a bright red cape, and as he twisted and turned, admiring himself in it, Frigga smiled.

XX

Loki had changed as much as he. But he still loved his brother, and they caught up on lost time sitting in the library and browsing the books one day.

“Time was,” Loki remarked, “You’d not be caught dead here.” Thor looked down.

“I grew up,” he said softly. _I grew up trained to be there only when I was wanted and to serve my master's needs, and taught that it was all I deserved_ he thought.

He closed his eyes.

XX

Thor avoided Odin whenever he could.

He had ever been afraid of his father, his father was a hard, imposing man even to his own children and rare his affection never quite erased his fear of him.

He couldn't forget the hard edge in his father's eye as he escorted him out of Jotunheim and up the Bifrost, and the memory made him shrink back a little.

He closed his eyes and breathed deep, bringing a hand to his bare neck.

Sometimes it still felt wrong.

Sometimes he woke up convinced this was all a dream, and it took the lack of a collar about his neck to prove to himself that he wasn't going to spend his day kneeling by Laufey's throne.

Not that it'd been a bad life, with Laufey. He'd fed him, clothed him and treated him well, and he was only expected to do as he was told. Freedom was _hard_. Harder than slavery ever had been. He had to make decisions and try and take command, to not keep quiet and keep his head down as he walked behind his master.

He had no master now.

And yet feeling his father's watchful eye on him he felt like he did.

XX

Thor tried to talk to Loki about why he was so hostile to everyone, why he was so bitter, but Loki refused to tell him, brushed him off with harsh words, and he knew he could never reach his brother like this and that if he pushed him he'd only drive him further away.

So he stepped back.

Loki felt like a stranger now; everything felt strange. He remembered the child he'd been, naive and trusting, and the life he'd so blissfully led, unaware of the danger he was in. Now he couldn't help but regard strangers who were innocently curious about his wings with suspicion. He tried not to snap at them but couldn't always hold his temper, driven by a fear he didn't want to admit, in.

XX

Odin took him down to the weapons vault and Mjolnir. He remembered the tales of the hammer and  how only the worthiest warrior could wield it, and turned away, swallowing a lump in his throat.

"I cannot accept this, Father," he said, "I-"

"You are my son," Odin said, "And I want you to have it."

He turned back around, reached out a trembling hand and touched the handle.

There was a jolt up his arm and Mjolnir shifted. He didn't see Odin's proud smile as he, hardly daring to breathe, curled his hand around the leather and lifted her.

She came easily into his hand and he swallowed, staring.

He heard Odin let out a breath and felt him put a hand on his shoulder. He shook it off. He didn't deserve his father's pride.

He walked out, but didn't let go of Mjolnir for a very long time.

XX

Frigga smiled proudly to see him holding the hammer. Loki narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. He offered her a wan smile and his brother a wary look, there were many tales of Loki's mischief and he'd been ever the prankster as a boy, and that night he just stared at the legendary hammer.

Never had he thought...

Now pride washed through him and he reached out, felt the lightning humming under her handle and the way she seemed to be almost alive, and he smiled.

XX

Loki avoided him more and more as time went on and he trained harder. He was far from the best warrior, he'd been far too conditioned to accept that his place was on his knees to have the confidence for that, but he was good, and he glowed a little more each time he mastered something new or was able to last longer before exhaustion claimed him.

He spent less time in the library and more time in the sparring yards and slowly muscles took over his previously slender figure.

That he was home started feeling _real_.

XX

He still defaulted to the behaviours taught to him by Ulnir and Laufey.

He was still quiet and took orders well, rarely giving them. He stayed in a corner of the room when he wasn't needed and tended to be found in his room if he wasn't in the training yard. He had few friends, and the ones he did have were warriors and never really understood him.

It was only in the dead of night he admitted he missed his collar and Ulnir and Laufey.

But he didn't know if he missed them because he'd cared about them or because they'd convinced him he couldn't live without them.

He never admitted to missing them to anyone.

XX

Loki had been increasingly malicious in his tricks of late and it worried Frigga, but Odin was far too busy ruling and Thor was struggling to find who he was when he'd spent his formative years as a slave to properly notice. But even had they tried to help him it wouldn't have been enough.

The wounds Loki suffered from had been inflicted long before Thor had ever been rescued. Nothing he did could have helped his brother.

Loki went off on one of his jaunts and returned quiet. Shortly after Odin fell into the Odinsleep and, as heir, Loki took the throne. His first act as king was to destroy Jotunheim using the Bifrost, and Thor didn't challenge him, just asked why.

Loki flew into a rage.

"You perfect Odinson," he spat at him and he froze in shock. "He always looked for you and never cared for me, even when you were gone you were more important than me, and look at you now. Perfect warrior, with Mjolnir, you _slave_."

The word struck Thor hard and he drew in a sharp breath.

"Loki," he croaked, _please don't do this_ , and Loki laughed.

"Scurrying in the corner, hiding in shadows, forgetting you're a prince. You should never have been rescued." His eyes were wild and he was spitting as he shouted.

"Loki," Thor said again and Loki cut him off by slapping him across the face with Mjolnir.

"Fight me," he snarled, "If you're still a prince, fight me."

Thor dropped Mjolnir, and Loki flung him across the observatory. He hit the ground with a groan and rose, hands outstretched, wings unfolded.

"Fight me," Loki said, and he sounded like he was begging. "You shame your esteemed father's name."

Thor was distracted from the phrasing by a bolt of magic and Mjolnir leapt into his hand.

"I am not your enemy!" he exclaimed, and the thought of the realm he had known as home for a century been decimated made his heart ache. "Please, Loki- stop this."

"Will you be upset if I kill your master?" Loki sneered, and Thor's reply was instinctual.

"I am not a slave!" he snarled, and Loki flew at him. He defended himself by swinging Mjolnir at his brother, and they flew out the observatory. Thor stared at the beam of light in despair, knowing it was too late to stop it, and raised Mjolnir.

"You'll destroy the bridge!" Loki shrieked and he prayed Father would forgive him as he slammed the hammer on the bridge beneath his feet.

As it exploded, he went flying off his feet and flapped desperately, but by the time he'd regained some stability Loki had fallen too far to be caught. That didn't stop him from preparing to dive after him, but someone caught his ankle and hauled him up.

"No!" he shouted and thrashed in Odin's grip, but it was too late.

He collapsed into his arms and wept, and Odin just held him.

XX

Thor had barely gotten his brother back and already he had to mourn him. Mother wrapped her arms around him and he wept against her shoulder, clutching to her.

"I am sorry, Father," he said later, "I should have-" Odin turned to him and he looked burdened.

"It is hardly your fault," he said, and they stood silently in their shared grief.

**Author's Note:**

> I'll probably write a Avengers follow-up at some point but before I do I'm going to be opening writing commissions; if you like my work feel free to check my tumblr out when I do, which will be pretty soon, and commisison me! My tumblr is gaylittlehufflepuff.tumblr.com


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